Kaiser graduation moved up a week

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — Kaiser High School seniors will be walking to the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" on May 30 rather than in June, when most schools hold their graduation.

Kaiser's calendar has been changed to accommodate Project Graduation and continue the school's tradition of a Friday commencement. To do this, the school will have a full day of school on Dec. 20, a day traditionally set for half-day, and make June 6 the last day of school for the rest of the students, three days earlier than originally planned, said school Principal Gayle Sugita.

"This way it will be similar to last year where the last day was on a Friday," Sugita said. "Clearly we weren't paying much attention to the schedule. But half-days are generally not very productive. So we created a proposal for the School/ Community-Based Management to approve."

The SCBM approved the calendar change recently at its monthly meeting, she said.

Each year high schools statewide organize a Project Graduation, an all-night alcohol- and drug-free party filled with activities and events for graduates, said Kelly Washino, co-chairwoman of Kaiser's Project Grad and Parent Teacher Student Association president.

Initially the school had planned to have June 9 as the last day of school and June 6 the graduation day, but Project Graduation organizers had made arrangements and reservations and placed down payments for a party on May 30.

In addition, Sugita said, graduation announcements have already gone to the printer.

About 80 to 95 percent of Kaiser seniors participate in Project Graduation.

"With Project Grad we needed to get things nailed down, so this calendar was an issue from the beginning of the school year," Washino said. "We didn't care when graduation was, as long as the date was set."

Last year, graduation day was May 31, said Greg Knudsen, state Department of Education spokesman. Somehow the school assumed graduation would fall on or around the same day this year and planned Project Graduation for May 30, a Friday, Knudsen said.

Because of this scheduling snafu, the school had to seek an exception from the DOE rule requiring graduation no earlier than five days from the end of school, he said.

"It was an easier solution to get the exception than trying to reschedule the Project Grad," Knudsen said. "Other schools have made similar mistakes with their calendars, but this was truly an exception."

Project Graduation is a parent-supported and -run event sponsored by the PTSA, Sugita said.

"It's one of those positive events," she said. "It's a nice time and the last time that all these youngsters can get together."

The school has not officially decided what activities will take place at the event.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.

Correction: Kaiser High School has not officially decided what activities will take place at its Project Graduation event. A previous version of this story was incorrect.